


The Cat Next Door

by Pokeluv101



Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Neighbors, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Neighbors, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:14:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27284755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pokeluv101/pseuds/Pokeluv101
Summary: Mahiru’s porch is broken and he hires Kuro to fix it. (KuroMahi, Modern AU)
Relationships: Kuro | Sleepy Ash/Shirota Mahiru
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	The Cat Next Door

Kuro sat on a bench swing in front of his home and whittled a chunk of wood into the shape of a bird. He preferred to work inside but the light was better on his porch. The atmosphere was peaceful until the silence was interrupted by a loud scream. He realized that it was his neighbour and he dropped the bird. He ran to his house to see if he was hurt.

Kuro found his neighbour sitting on his porch and he appeared unharmed. At first, he thought that he merely tripped but then he noticed that his leg was caught between the steps. The wood likely broke and caused him to fall through. He carefully climbed the steps to help him up. He took his arm and slowly lifted him out of the hole so he wouldn’t be hurt further. “You okay?”

“Nothing’s broken but I choose a bad day to wear shorts.” Mahiru groaned to himself softly. The wood had scraped his legs and splinters dug into his skin as fell earlier. He winced slightly when he tried to stand on his own. Kuro must’ve noticed his pain because he gently eased him onto the ground. He was glad that Kuro found him so quickly. “Thank you.”

“It looks like the wood has been rotted through for a while. Did the inspector overlook this when you bought the house? You should replace it as soon as you can.” He said after he briefly examined the wood. Mahiru had recently moved into the house next to him. From his expression, Kuro could guess that they didn’t tell him about the rotted porch.

Kuro didn’t know his previous neighbour very well but Mahiru seemed like a kind person. “Were you going out to visit your friend or go to work? You should call them and tell them that you might be a little late. They can take you to the hospital too. Do you want me to stay until they arrive?”

“Thank you for the offer but I have a first aid kit in my kitchen. I should be able to get it by myself.” Mahiru reassured him. His smile faltered when he saw the cookies laying on the ground. He collected the baked goods on the plate to throw away later. “I was actually planning to visit you and introduce myself. My name’s Mahiru Shirota. Since we’re neighbours, it would be nice if we can be friends too. The cookies I baked are ruined though.”

“I thought giving baked goods to your neighbours was something people did in the sixties or movies. Well, I’m Kuro Servamp.” Kuro hadn’t noticed the cookies earlier because he was focused on helping Mahiru. They smelled good though and he wished he could’ve tried them. “Maybe I can eat them next time. We should treat your leg first.”

“Oh, I have an idea! I made a lot of cookies and there are some left over that we can share. Do you want to come inside and talk, Kuro?” He stood a little too quickly and his leg throbbed. He stumbled slightly and Kuro helped him regain his balance. “It looks like walking will be more difficult than I thought. Can I borrow your shoulder? I’ll pay you back with cookies.”

“Sure. Watch your step or you’re going to fall through the floor again. I don’t know how it got this bad and the inspector didn’t catch it. Troublesome.” He walked him to the door. Mahiru stood on one foot as he unlocked the door and hopped inside. His home was open and welcoming with bright furniture. Kuro thought that it would be sparser since he only moved in a few days ago.

A black cat laid on the couch and sat up when it heard them enter. Mahiru briefly stopped to pet it and it rolled onto its back so he could rub its stomach. He laughed softly and Kuro thought his voice was alluring. “Ash, this is our new neighbour, Kuro. I know you don’t like new people but you should try to get along with him. He’s a good guy and he helped me after I got hurt.”

He led Kuro into the kitchen and took out the first aid kit from the cupboard. There was a plate of cookies on the table and Mahiru lightly pushed it towards Kuro. He noticed Ash follow them into the kitchen. The cat nestled against Kuro’s leg and Mahiru said, “It looks like he’s fond of you already. That’s rare for him. Are you a cat person?”

“My family says I have the soul of a cat.” Mahiru filled a bowl with water. He was slightly surprised when Kuro helped him carry it to the table. “Let me get that for you. I need to earn that cookie payment you mentioned.”

“I hope my cookies live up to your expectation if you’re working so hard to be able to eat them.” Mahiru chuckled. He took a towel and soaked it in water to clean the scrapes on his leg. He was glad to see that the bleeding had already stopped. In the corner of his eyes, he watched Kuro. “I’m a veterinarian. What do you do for work? Every morning, I see you sitting on your porch.”

“I’m an architect. I used to do some carpenter work but it wasn’t for me. Designing buildings is less work than being on sight. Sometimes, I whittle though.” He told him. Kuro found himself staring at Mahiru’s legs. He was an attractive man but he pulled his gaze away to be polite. He grabbed a cookie and took a bite. It was delicious and he said, “This is good.”

“Thank you. Would you like some tea as well?” His compliment made Mahiru happy and he blushed faintly. He finished treating his leg and put away the first aid kit. Then, Mahiru sat across from him and ate a cookie as well. He thought of how Kuro was able to identify the problem with his porch easily so he knew he wasn’t lying about his job. He would often see him carving little figurines too.

An idea came to him and Mahiru said, “You used to be a carpenter. Do you think you can fix my porch or refer me to someone who can? I’m new to town and I’m still moving in. I don’t have time to look up people in the phonebook and get a bunch of quotes either.”

“The wood is rotted but it should be an easy job to replace it. My brother is a handyman and he owns a company. I can talk to him for you.” Kuro offered and took out his brother's business card from his wallet. “These cookies are so good that I’ll accept them as payment. Three hundred?”

“That’s a lot of baking, even for me.” Mahiru laughed along with his joke. Whenever Mahiru passed him in the morning, he thought Kuro was the quiet type. He found that he was easy to talk to. “It’ll be simpler for both of us if I can give you a cheque. How long do you think it will take to finish fixing my porch?”

They discussed the details for a while longer. Mahiru had a second reason he wanted to hire Kuro to fix his porch. He wanted to get to know him more and it was a good excuse to talk to him.


End file.
